Emotional Triggers in Bullying

Year 9 Health — Navigating Bullying and Digital Spaces | Lesson 1

Name:

Date:

Emotional triggers in bullying illustration

🎯 WALT & Success Criteria

We Are Learning To: Analyse internal factors — such as insecurities and the need for power — that can drive bullying behaviour.

You will be successful when you can:

Explain what internal factors are and how they relate to bullying

Identify emotions shown in the video and link them to bullying behaviour

Reflect on how understanding these emotions can help us respond to bullying

📺 Part 1: Video Comprehension

Watch the video carefully and answer the following questions.

1. List three emotions you noticed being displayed in the video. For each emotion, describe how it was shown.

Emotion 1: _______________________

How it was shown:

Emotion 2: _______________________

How it was shown:

Emotion 3: _______________________

How it was shown:

2. Which of the following internal factors were suggested as triggers for bullying in the video? (Tick all that apply)

Insecurity or low self-esteem

Jealousy or envy

Desire for power or control

Fear of rejection

Anger or frustration

Need for social belonging

3. In the video, how did the person who was bullying behave outwardly compared to how they may have been feeling internally? Explain the difference.

4. Choose one emotion from the video. Explain how that emotion could lead someone to bully others. Use the sentence stem below to help you.

"Someone might bully others because they feel _______________________, and this could cause them to..."

✏️ Part 2: Reflection

5. Think about the internal factors discussed in the video and in class. Complete the mind map by writing four internal factors that could drive bullying behaviour in the spaces below.

Internal Factors That Drive Bullying

1. _______________________________

2. _______________________________

3. _______________________________

4. _______________________________

6. How can understanding the emotions behind bullying help us respond to it more effectively? Give at least one specific example.

7. 📓 Journal Response: Have you ever observed a situation (in real life, on TV, or in a book) where someone's internal feelings led them to treat others unkindly? Without naming anyone, describe what you noticed and how understanding those feelings might have changed the situation.

🚀 Extension: Psychological Theories

For advanced learners — challenge yourself to go deeper!

8. Self-Esteem Theory suggests that people with low self-esteem may bully others to feel more powerful or valued. How does this connect to what you saw in the video? Do you agree or disagree with this theory? Explain your thinking.

9. Social Identity Theory suggests that people define themselves by the groups they belong to, and may bully "outsiders" to strengthen their group identity. Can you think of an example — from the video, a film, or real life — where this might explain bullying behaviour?

10. 🔍 Research Challenge: Choose one psychological theory below to research before the next lesson. Be ready to explain how it connects to internal factors in bullying.

Self-Esteem Theory

Social Identity Theory

Frustration-Aggression Theory

Attachment Theory

My chosen theory: _______________________________

One key idea I found: